Unthinkable encounter
by 5writer
Summary: Katelyn is a powerful and brilliant lawyer, yet she is still suffering from past events, that are affecting her life in a daily basis. As a result, she experiences anxiety, and is afraid of many things, one of them being hospitals. So who would have thought that she would end up falling for a doctor?
1. Chapter 1

Connor Rhodes was sitting quietly at a table in molly's surrounded by his fellow colleagues from the hospital. However, he wasn't participating much in the conversations going on but was more focused on the beer he was rolling around in his hand.

The beverage was still full, he only had taken a few sips not really in the mood to drink. Sometimes being a doctor was tough - and man had this day been tough. He didn't even recall how he got to molly's and when did he agreed to it.

But sometimes being with people that went through the same things as he did, that understood him deeply, made it easier to deal with the day. His thoughts were pushed aside when the table erupted in laughter. Thanks to Will and his crack jokes apparently. At that he chuckled.

Even if they had not been friends from the start - quite the opposite in fact, they almost ended up at one another's throats a few times- they now entertained a good relation. And for that he was glad, even if he would never admit it at loud. If it was to happen he was sure that Will would never ever shut up about it.

Suddenly in the middle of the noise of customers, there was a commotion, a man standing in front of the bar was shouting at Hermann - on bartender duty that night. The noise dimmed, as the different conversations were cut abruptly, enough that he was able to catch why the argument happened in the first place.

_Sorry fella, but you've had enough I'm not serving you anymore. If you don't agree with that you're free to leave any time._

_I'm a customer with money you don't have a right to do that._ The disturbing client slureted.

_Well my bar my rules. Now out, before I drag your ass out there myself._ Herman shouted now clearly angry.

The man full of anger to be denied and humiliated in front of an audience was quick to make a move to get out of the bar. But between his drunken state and his precipitation to leave he knocked down a young woman.

Everything happened so fast, and before anyone could react the woman lost her balance due to the force of the blow she received. She did tried to stop her fall by gripping the bar but she only succeed in knocking a few empty beer bottles which shattered as they dropped on the ground just before the woman sprawled on it.

A complete silence filled up the bar for a few seconds only disturbed by a few gasps. It was the loud noise of the front door clamping shut after the departure of the drunk client that seemed to tear everyone out of their shock. Before he even knew it Connor was on his feet running toward the woman who was starting to stand up.

Connor lightly put his hand on her back.

_Hey there, you okay ?_ He asked gently while trying to check out if she was injured or not.

In her haste to stand up and stop being the center of attention, the woman stumbled on her feet, clearly a little unsteady.

_Why don't you sit back for a few._ Connor told her while helping her in a sitting position her back resting against the counter of the bar for support.

It was when she was finally facing him that Connor noticed that blood was pouring from her left forearm where he saw a few pieces of broken glass. Herman who had rounded the bar to come to their side handed him a few napkins, which he gratefully took - having no other choices available- and placed gently put firmly on her cut to try and slow the bleeding. When he put a little pressure the woman hissed slightly clearly in pain due to the glass stuck in her arm.

_I'm sorry but we need to put pressure in order to stop the bleeding. My name is Connor, I'm a doctor. He tried to tell her hoping to ease the fear he saw in her eyes. Can you tell me your name ?_

_Katelyn._ She breathed out. _It's Katelyn._ She nodded her head unconsciously her eyes wide with fear fixated on her injury.

_Should I call for an ambo ?_ Herman beside him inquired.

That seemed to shook her out of her stupor, because instantly her gaze snapped and met his - for a few he lost track of time looking deeply in her gaze which was full of fear, anxiety and was it sadness ? - shaking her head vigorously.

_No. No hospital. No. Please._ She uttered obviously shaken up just by the mention of it. _I'm fine. I promise._

_Well, I'm afraid you're going to need stitches…_

_It's fine I.. I just want to go home. I can take some tylenol or something. It's fine...really._ She almost sounded like she was pleading, which saddened him.

_Unfortunately it doesn't work like this._ He quietly chuckled while holding her gaze softly trying to make her at ease. _I'm afraid that a trip to the ER is necessary Katelyn. He added more serious._

_Oh my god, no… I… I just wanted to … I didn't…_ Her words were rushed between her rapid intake of breath.

_Hey hey._ He took hold of both her wrists being careful with her injured one and pressed them to his chest. _Look at me. Katelyn look at me, it's okay. I know that it is terrifying. But you really need to let me take you to the hospital. I can't take care of you here._ He slowly lifted his hand and gently stroked her cheek still holding her petrified gaze.

_I'm really scared of hospitals…_ She murmured almost silently and if he wasn't this close to her he was sure he wouldn't have heard it.

_It's okay…_ He smiled at her gently._ I'm going to be with you every step of the way. You just need to trust me, okay ?_ He asked in a soft voice.

There was a moment of silence before she slightly nodded her head, her eyes full of tears.

_Good, that's good._ He encouraged. _Now let's get you up._

Holding her two hands firmly he helped her get to her feet with the help of Will, by his side since the beginning, who steadied her.

_You good ? Need any help ?_ Will asked Connor.

_Yeah could you drive us to the ER ? No need to bother with a trip in the back of an ambo, right ?_ He said while looking at Katelyn who again agreed by shaking her head vigorously.

Will was quick to leave the bar to bring his car upfront, while Connor slowly helped Katelyn make her way out at the same time that Herman was presenting her his apologies for the discomfort and the dramatic turn that her night took while being in his establishment. He wasn't sure if she was even listening to what Herman was saying, her eyes were distant and she seemed to be totally disconnected from reality. When they reached Will's car, he gently helped her small frame get in the car, and seeing as her left arm was of no use, he buckled her in.

_It's only a five minutes drive to get to the hospital, so it won't take long, but in the meantime I want you to take some deep breaths, okay? We don't want you to have a panic attack…_ He informed her while holding her gaze and trying to make her a little bit more calm.

But it seemed that no words could left Katelyn's lips at that time, surely frightened by her hospital fears, but he eventually had a small nod from her, which was something. During the ride, he took the opportunity to take a more precise look of her. She was breathtaking, so small that he wanted to engulf her in his arms and hold her there, so scared that he felt the desperate and irrepressible need to protect her growing inside him with each passing second. She was shaking like a leaf, so he took off his warm jacket and slowly put it on her shoulders enclosing her small frame in the clothe.

The five minutes seemed to last hours while he took in every details, even the smaller one, of her delicate face. But the part who interested him the most was her eyes, her beautiful big green eyes which where full of so much emotions, it took his breath away.


	2. Chapter 2

…

Noises. Loud noises. The sound of ringings. It was almost unbearable. Yet, she knew that sound quite well. The noise of her own beating heart, ringing in her ears. The sound of her panic, she was quite accustomed to it, even though each time she had no control over it. Her hands were tingling, she could feel sweat starting to form on her forehead, it was incredibly hot in the car, yet she couldn't stop shaking. Her thoughts were out of control, she couldn't even think straight.

She knew all those signs too well : she was minutes away from having a panic attack. Forcing herself to take slow and shaky breaths, she gripped tightly, with her uninjured hand, the jacket wrapped over her shoulders, she relished in the warm that it was offering. The masculin perfume was strangely comforting, and it may have been the only thing that was at the moment.

Just the thought that she was minutes away from being in a hospital was enough to make her feel as she was having a heart attack.

Besides the loud ringing in her ears, she could vaguely hear Connor - she hoped she had got the name right despite her panic at the time, murmuring comforting words to her, telling her to take deep breaths and to try to calm down. Easier said than done, she thought bitterly. She had learned through time that having people telling her to calm down, when she was stressing out or having a panic attack, wasn't of any help. Quite the opposite in fact, it would make it even worse.

She was startled out of her panic, when she heard the deep voice of the red-haired guy driving, who was looking up in the rearview mirror as he spoke.

_I'm going to drop you of at the entrance, alright?_ She barely heard him say to Connor.

She felt the vehicle coming to a stop, and she didn't even had the time to do anything before the door on her side was opened and the face of Connor was greeting her.

_Hey there, you're still with us?_ He asked softly, while gently leaning over her in order to unbuckle her.

He then proceed to guide her out of the car, waiting a few seconds to make sure that she had regained her balance. With his arm around her waist, supporting her just in case, he quickly thanked Will before shutting the door, waving at him one last time.

_I know you're scarred of hospitals, okay? I hear you, so we're going to make sure everything goes smoothly, I promise you I'll be by your side. You're the one in charge here._ He assured her.

He was looking straight in her eyes, holding firmly her gaze, as to show her that he was dead serious. She appreciated the fact that he didn't make anymore movement until she nodded in understanding.

He quickly ushered her inside the hospital, guiding her past the waiting area toward a desk manned by a nurse, who looked up at the sound of the closing doors, and smiled fondly at the doctor.

_Hey Maggie, which room do you have available for me? Katelyn, here, needs a few stitches._

_Room 2 is all yours Dr Rhodes, give me a few seconds to finish this and I'll come to assist you._

_Thanks Maggie. Okay Katelyn, here we go._ He told her while guiding her to sit down in the gurney. _I'm going to take that back…_ He slowly took off the jacket he had given her.

_Hey Katelyn, I'm Maggie, you doing alright honey?_ The nurse, Maggie, introduced herself as she came into the room, sanitizing her hand the same way she had seen Connor do seconds before. She offered her a genuine smile, before getting out of her sight.

She focused her gaze on the injury on her wrist, she hadn't even really paid much attention to it until now. She was so fixated on her injury, she barely heard Connor whispered something to Maggie. She was quickly snapped out of her thoughts, when she felt a cold hand touching her shoulders, right before she felt something wet and cold being swept on the top of her arm. But before she had the time to turn around to see what was happening, Connor tried to get her attention back.

_Hey, no no it's okay, keep your eyes on me. Maggie is just going to give you something to help you relax a little, I really don't want you to have a panic attack._

_It wouldn't be the last one…_ She intended the words to come out a little louder than they did.

The only sign Connor heard it, was the compassionate smile he gave her afterwards.

_Okay, I'm going to need you to lie down just in case you feel like you're going to faint._ He explained to her, while gently helping her put her legs up on the gurney, and lean down her head on the soft cushion. She didn't know what he had Maggie give her, but she knew it was starting to take effect. She was feeling a little beat drowsy, her heart had found a somehow normal rhythm, even though she was still badly shaking.

_Remember when I told you earlier that you were the one in charge here? I was not lying, if at any moment you're not comfortable with what I'm doing or if you need to take a break, I want you to tell me right away okay?_ He told her, looking her straight in the eyes.

She slowly nodded her consent, she was thankful for the way he was handling it. It was as if he knew that she desperately needed to get back some sort of control over the situation in order to ease her panic. And as strange as it sounded for her, she felt somehow at ease with him. She felt him start probing around her wrist, but she didn't dared looking down. She simply tried to ignore the current situation she was in, and calm down. She was already in a hospital, no need to get into a full meltdown, and end up in the psych yard.

_Okay so, before I start doing the stitches, I just need to ask you a few questions, alright? You still with me? _She quickly nodded. _How many drink have you had tonight?_ He asked.

She cleared her throat, trying to get rid of the knot in her throat, due to the panic, in order to speak clearly.

_Hm,… None. I- I don't drink…_ She stuttered.

_Good. Do you have any conditions or medical backgrounds I should be aware of?_

_No, nothing… Well besides the panic attacks, obviously._ She tried to joke to ease out some tension.

Connor laughed, _Well, alright then. I'm going to numb you up a little, before starting the stitches._ He informed her.

While he was getting ready, she stared at the white cellar, trying to ignore the noise of the different utensil and packages he was opening. She felt small pinches when he numbed her, but after that she didn't feel anymore pain.

_So… What do you do in life, Katelyn?_ Connor asked her, while doing her stitches.

_As surprising as it may sound I'm a lawyer…_ She laughed bitterly. Joke on me she thought, she was sure that at that precise moment she had no composure…. _What about you ? Do you usually work in the emergency?_ She pushed the words out, while she felt confident enough and tried to keep the conversation going on, wanting to hear his voice again.

_You know everyone as its weakness once in a while, nothing to be ashamed of, I'm sure that it doesn't affect the fact that you're an incredible lawyer…_ He assured her. _I sometimes work in the emergency if needed, but mainly I'm a cardio-thoracic surgeon._

_Wow,… Are you sure you should be the one doing my stitches? I don't want you to feel like you have to, when you're clearly overqualified and… off the clock. Oh gosh, I didn't even realized I'm sorry, you were enjoying yourself and…_ She quickly apologized.

_Hey, don't apologize, I'm here because I want to okay, I told you I would be with you every step of the way, and I'm holding my promise. You're no bother at all trust me, Katelyn._ He stopped her.

She relaxed a little after hearing that, letting her head fall back on the pillow, waiting patiently for him to finish. She could swear that she heard Maggie chuckling right after he finished talking, and teasing Connor, about what she wasn't sure…


	3. Chapter 3

Connor finished the precise stitches in a comforting silence, Katelyn had been quiet for a few minutes, but this time he knew it wasn't because she was overwhelmed by her fear. He was almost sure that she was as relaxed as she could be considering the circumstances. When he glanced quickly at her in the middle of two stitches, he saw that her gaze was intensely fixated on the ceiling.

_You still doing okay there? _He inquired softly as to not startle her. _I'm almost…and there we go ….done._ He declared while wiping clean her forearm.

_Is the medicine you gave me supposed to give me a headache? _She winced.

_No, why?_ He furrowed his brow, now looking at her face and noticing the way she was squinting her eyes, as if she was uncomfortable.

_I'm having a killer headache._ She declared, finally meeting his concern gaze.

_Okay, let's see… Can you sit up for me?_ He asked while helping doing so. _Do you thing that it's possible that you hit your head earlier?_ He gently took her face in his hand, after having taken off his blood stained gloves.

He started to gently part her hair, trying to see if he could see any head injury and probed her head as he went to feel for any bump. Just as she was about to respond, he saw that blood had stained her hair on the side of her head. Because her hair was a deep brown and the injury had been covered by multiple layers of hair, he did not notice it earlier.

_Yeah I think it was on the counter of the bar when I fell, but it only hurt on the moment, why?_ She winced when he probed around her injury.

_Well, you've got a pretty nice gash there I'm afraid._ He announced, and examined it closely. _It's quite deep and you've got a hell of a bump…_ He trailed off, unsure of how he was going to tell her.

_What does that mean ?_ She inhaled a sharp breath, and he saw the deep anxiety, coming back at full intensity, in her eyes.

_It means that it may take longer than expected… I'm sorry but you're going to need to stay a few more hours just so we can monitor it_. He flashed a penlight, pointing his finger in front of her face. _Can you follow my finger?_

_But..but you told me that it would only take a few minutes..not hours._ She stuttered following his instructions.

_Right pupil is a little dilated._ He murmured, talking to himself. _Bad news is I'm pretty sure we're looking at a concussion here… That's why we need to monitor it, to make sure it's only a concussion and that your symptoms don't escalate._ He informed her.

_I just want to go home… It was supposed to be quick…_ She said.

_I know. I know. I'm sorry. But I'm off for the night so I'm going to stay here with you, right by your side okay. You're not going to be alone._ Connor assured her. _Okay?_ He held her gaze until she gave him a shy nod.

_I'm sorry, you're going to think that I'm torturing you tonight, but we need to get that cut cleaned._ He told her, putting on a new pair of gloves.

_Stitches again?_ She almost cried out which made Connor laughed.

_Well, glad to see that you're admirative of the great job I did on your arm, the best stitches in town, I guarantee you._ He joked ironically. _But more seriously, I don't think that you're going to need stitches for that part, some surgical glue should do the trick._

A few minutes later the wound on Katelyn's head had been all glued up, and Connor was preparing the chair in the corner of the room for the night, trying in vain to make it as comfortable as possible. He then went and shut the sliding toor, giving the room some much needed appeasing silence, he also deemed the light as much as possible.

_I'm sorry but it's as best as it's gonna get._ He apologized to Katelyn, who was lying on her side, her head resting on the pillow cuddled in her arms, her eyes watching his every movement.

He huffed a little as he let his body dropped on the chair, the exhaustion starting to dawn on him. But if one thing was clear, it was that he wasn't going anywhere for the rest of the night. Even if he had not made that promise to her, he think that he would have still been lurking around the hospital checking up on her until she was discharged. That girl right there, had literally catch his attention, and he was not complaining in the slightest.

_Is there anyone you want me to call for you?_ He asked gently, and deep down crossed his fingers that there was no boyfriend or husband, all professional thoughts now forgotten.

_Hm, no I'm- I'm good. Could I maybe borrow your phone, I think I left my stuff at the bar, and I just want to let a friend know where I am…_ She explained.

_Yeah sure, no problem._ He handed her his phone, which she gratefully took and began to type away her message.

They didn't speak as she used his phone for a few minutes, before handing it back. Connor quickly slide it in his pocket and settled back on the chair. As he looked up he was met by the soft stare of Katelyn who was looking attentively at him. So many questions were burning Connor's lips and he decided to take advantage of the quiet and serene moment to ask away.

_Have you been scared of hospitals all your life? Or did something happened to make you this way?_ He asked gently, not wanting to disturb the calm that had settled over the both of them.

_I guess I've been like this for a while… I mean there wasn't any traumatizing experiences in hospitals that made me react like this._ She answered, her gaze went back to the ceiling as if she was searching for the answers there. _I've just been afraid of many things, I mean I'm always scared, for everything, like every fucking thing._ She said through her teeth, clearly angry and ashamed of herself.

_The panic attacks?_ Connor inquired softly and she nodded her head, before her mist eyes met his. _There's nothing to be ashamed of you know.. In fact if you ask me, what you just admitted to me show how strong you are… You're not trying to hide it._ He assured her, hoping to show her he was dead serious.

_I know… I just - I guess I'm disappointed in myself, I've been trying really hard to work on it lately. And I thought that I actually did a good job… but clearly I was wrong, a trip to the hospital was enough to send me back into a full panic mode…_ She winced.

_Hey no, no. Don't be too hard on yourself…Coming to the hospital is a huge thing, okay? You had every reason to be scared, things went out of your control, and that alone is scary, I get that._ He took a deep breath and though about what to say next. _You know when I was younger I used to be scarred out of my mind that someone had broken into our house, and was hiding in my room. I knew it was completely impossible, but it still scared me to the point that I couldn't go to sleep without having someone check my closet._ He told her laughing at his younger self.

_Yeah but you were a child…_ She concluded sadly.

_Want me to tell you a little secret?_ He asked as he straighten in his seat, put his elbows on his knees and sat on the edge of the chair to be closer to the hospital bed she was lying on. _I still check my closet once in a while._ He winked at her.

He wasn't ready for her to laugh out loud like this, but he enjoyed it, a deep smile itching on his face. And even though the conditions were not the best, he was more than enjoying his night.

_You're funny, I'll take you that.._ She said and he looked at her in concern. … _give you that…_ _I'm sorry I'm not making sense._

_Okay there, I think that you've tired your brain enough for the night. You should be resting, that concussion of yours is no joke._ He told her as he got on his feet, to come beside her, doing a quick check of her pupils, which had not change. However up close, he now noticed how she was shivering badly, he quickly put the back of his hand to her forehand to see if she was burning up or not.

_Gosh why am I shaking so badly._ She whimpered as she snuggled deeper into the covers, his cold hand touching her skin was not helping it.

_It's because you're coming down from the adrenaline rush, I'm going to get you a blanket and then you can get some rest._ He informed her, and before she could even say something he was back in the room and draping a heavy blanket on her.

_Now I really want you to rest, okay? I'm going to be right there._ He said as he pointed to the chair in the corner. _I'll be waking you up in an hour for a concussion check._ He preferred to informed her, not wanting her to get scarred later on.

_Okay, I'm holding you to that… Don't let me down._ She joked lamely as her eyes dropped from fatigue.

_Count on me._ He laughed, watching over her for a few minutes as she settled into a deep sleep, before resuming to his position for the night.

[…]

A quiet knock on the sliding door stirred Connor out of his thoughts, as he looked up he was surprise to see that Jay Halstead was standing behind it, waving at him to come meet him outside of the room, surely not wanting to disturb Katelyn's sleep.

_Hey man,_ Jay offered as a greeting, quickly giving Connor an embrace.

_What are you doing here? Are you here to take her complaint?_ Asked Connor clearly confused.

_No man, I actually know her, she's a close friend of Hannah._ Jay informed Connor, a smile taking over his face as he mentioned his girlfriend. _They were supposed to meet at Molly's, Hannah had been trying to convince her to come all week long._ He chuckled. _But she wasn't feeling well tonight so she cancelled last minute, but Katelyn had already got there, she said she was leaving, and then when Hannah heard from her again, she told her all about the incident. Hannah send me here to check up on her, but I see that you've got things under control.._ He motioned to Katelyn.

_Yeah, it was not easy at first, she was completely freaked out to go to the hospital… Did you know?_

_Yes that's why I came here as soon as I heard, Hannah is really pissed at herself not to be here by her side._ Jay winced.

_Well, she needed a few stitches on her arm, and I'm having her stay overnight to monitor her concussion, normally we would have discharged her and make sure that she had someone to check on her during the night, but I gave her medicine to calm her down earlier so I prefer to watch her for the next couple of hours._

_I made a stop to Molly's on the way here to collect her stuff, her portable is in there too, could you give it to her, and when she's discharged have her call me I'll come back to bring her home._ Jay inquired as he handed him Katelyn's stuff.

_Okay, count on me. I'll even call you myself, I think it will most likely be first thing in the morning._ Connor assured him. _Listen…_ He trailed off. _What do you know about her?_

_Well Hannah has known her for a couple of years now, they are really close, I've never heard of her family, don't even know if she has one, and Hannah might very well be the only friend she has. I've know her for a while now, but she's still not quite comfortable when I'm there…_ Jay sighed as if it pained him. _I don't know what else to tell you man, except that I'm glad that you were there to take care of her._ He squeezed affectionally Connor's shoulder as he said it. _So thanks for that._

_Yeah, no worries Jay,.._ He responded, watching Jay retreat as he received a call, saying that he would be back later on.

Connor turned away from the exit, and settled his gaze on Katelyn's sleeping form. He was glad that she was getting some sleep, it had not been pleasant to wake her up every hour, she had clearly been confused and exhausted each time, some time even in pain. As he watched over her, he couldn't help himself but wonder what would happen in the morning, once she would be discharged. And the endless possibilities made him want the night not to end.

Hi guys, sorry for the time it took me to write this chapter. I hope you like it, and I would_ love_ to hear some feedback! I also wanted to apologized for any mistakes I may have made in this chapter and the previous ones, English ins't my first language so bare with me please :)


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